Kerbal Express Airlines - Regional Jet Challenge (Reboot)

Test Pilot Review: @qzgy's Kramer - SSTP-34 "Benirschke

Figures as Tested:

Price: 121.922.000

Fuel: 5120 kallons

Cruising speed: 1400m/s

Cruising altitude: 17.500m

Fuel burn rate: 1.4kal/s

Range: 5100km

Review Notes:

Overkill in engines is the first thing that came to mind when we saw this plane. Powered by 6 ramjets, the SSTP-34 is an absolute beast, it has massive acceleration and can get to blazing speeds without too much effort. Some nice design work also allows the plane to carry two pilots in what doesn't seem like that much more than a single person cockpit. We do have to note that it was very, very cramped inside, but I guess that saves us the cost of having to heat the cockpit.

Maneuverability of the plane is an odd one to be honest. Pitch control is quite random seemingly, sometimes it was very responsive, and sometimes it took ages for the plane to turn, the latter sadly being the more dominant one. We tested if speed had an impact on it, but that didn't seem to be the case, it was just...random. Roll control is quite excellent, a tad sensitive, but still very easy to control. Yaw was pretty average. Take-off speed was pretty much the biggest let down of it all. While mentioned to be "close to 80m/s", it seemed as if the plane wasn't capable of taking off below 110m/s at all. 30m/s above what is required is quite bad, this plane will need a very long runway to take-off, no matter how fast it accelerates. For landing, the drogue chute does help a fair bit in slowing down, meaning the plane doesn't need an excessively long runway to land on. Repackaging the chute does take some time, and it'll have to be replaced regularly, adding to the cost.

A range of 5100km is very good, however the fuel usage of this plane is high. In ascent it can use as much as 8kal/s, and in cruising it's still 1.4kal/s which is above average. The time in which it can cover this range is very nice though, with a cruising speed of 1400m/s, we can get anyone (given that they have the money to pay for it) anywhere, and that very fast.

Comfort is excellent, the engines are mounted behind the cabins, making for limited noise in the cabins. Them being wing mounted also makes for a more comfortable flight. The air intakes are a bit close to the cabins though, meaning that there's still some vibrations of those noticeable in the cabin. Those cabins are large and spacious though, meaning that passengers can move around and stretch their legs while the plane is cruising, walking up to the windows and seeing the burning plasma on the windows, with great views of Kerbin beyond that.

The price of this all is high though, 121.922.000 is a very high price, no matter how good the craft performs. Couple this with a part count of 98, 6 high maintenance engines and an unrivaled taste for fuel, and you get a very pricey plane indeed. Thankfully she can take 80 passengers along, which does mean that the cost per passenger is somewhat doable.

The Verdict:

While the SSTP-34 is without a doubt a great plane, it's quite hampered by its high price and bad take-off speed. Still, we'd like to buy 2 of them, our richer customers will undoubtedly want to pay the price for the excellent comfort this plane boast, and the easy and quick transport between major hubs across the globe.Kerbal Express Airlines - Regional Jet Challenge (Reboot)

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